Bathinda, Punjab (KP) – After having seven “Khalsa Chetna Marches,” the Khalsa Action Committee (KAC) failed to finalize its eighth consecutive protest march. Punjab Police intervention foiled the plans of the Action Committee by not allowing the march to be initiated from several locations and also arrested over forty leaders of the committee to uphold peace in the State.
The eighth Chetna March was being organized with similar motives as in the past to raise awareness against Gurmeet Ram Rahim and other anti-Sikh Gurudoms. Initially, the march was planned to be done in over twelve different locations. At many locations, the Police created obstructions after the palki of Guru Granth Sahib Ji was ready along with five Singhs dressed in Khalsa banaa as Punj Pyare.
Although leaders of many Panthic Organizations have in the past shown disagreements with the leadership of KAC, almost all Jathebandis have lashed out at the Punjab Police and Punjab Government for uselessly interfering in Sikh matters. It has come to light that where many of the KAC officials wanted to proceed with the initial plans of the Khalsa March--notwithstanding possible hardships--others took the easy route to avoid any direct conflict with the Police.
One of the few successful portions of the march was led by Baba Gurmeet Singh Gurthari and a team of over two hundred Singhs who were successful in reaching their destination at Village Bhai Rupa. On the other hand, Bhai Mohkam Singh, Chief of KAC, who was being accompanied by over 150 Singhs was unsuccessful in reaching the same destination. Bhai Mohkam Singh and several other Singhs were arrested shortly after they came out of the Gurdwara Sahib to commence the march. Another delegation which was supposed to arrive at Bhai Rupa from Moga also had a confrontation with the Police. Bhai Harbans Singh Dodhar, who was leading the march, was arrested en route to Bathinda along with other Singhs who were accompanying him.
The Police also barred the Sikh Sangat from attending the Akhand Path Sahib at the historical Gurdwara Sahib at village Bhai Rupa. About twenty people, which included local sevadars and paathi Singhs, were locked inside for the whole time as the village was totally transformed into a police encampment. During the Akhand Path Sahib bhog, all KAC officials remained absent.
While talking to the press, SSP Naunihal Singh disclosed that the leadership of the KAC insisted on having the March through the streets of village Adampur and Kangar, which are only a few kilometers from the Sacha Sauda Dera in Salabatpura. The Action Committee activists were asked to keep at least a distance of five kilometers from Salabatpura in order to avoid conflicts. Officials of the Sacha Sauda in Salabatpura were also asked to refrain from holding any public gathering at the dera.
Police had blocked all the main entrances of the Gurdwara Sahib at Bhai Rupa Village with the help of trucks and busses which prohibited sevadars from holding the March. Bhai Mohkam Singh, who had arrived late, had dropped the idea of holding the march, but other leaders who were also able to make their way to the Gurdwara Sahib, refused and wanted to continue the march at all costs. Bhai Kamikar Singh Mukandpur and Bhai Mohkam Singh also exchanged heated words as both showed disagreements over the issue of halting the March.
Bhai Mohkam Singh, however, expressed fury at the Punjab Police and Punjab Government. He alleged that by not allowing the Sikh Sangat to hold protest Marches against Dera Sacha Sauda, the Government is asking them to violate the mandates passed from Akal Takhat Sahib which ask for social, religious and political boycott of the dera. He further held that the Badal Government had also defied the status of Akal Takhat Sahib by allowing the dera premis to hold naam charchas.
Bhai Karnail Singh Panjoli, SGPC Member, and other KAC leaders passed three important but rather impractical resolutions (considering the current Panthic situation) for the Sikh Sangat to follow. In the first resolution, Vedanti and other Jathedars have been asked to summon Parkash Badal for not using his influence to stop the ‘naam charchas’ in Punjab. Secondly, Parkash Badal and other Shiromani Akali Dal officials should be punished for choosing the first ever non-Amritdhari as President. In the third resolution, the KAC has labeled the incidents that took place during the eighth Khalsa March as derogatory to the status of Guru Granth Sahib Ji and have asked all the Akali Dal workers to resign from their Government positions.
Other Khalsa Action Committee leaders who were arrested during the March included Bhai Baldev Singh Sirsa, Bhai Bharpoor Singh Dhanola, Bhai Darshan Singh Mand, Bhai Gurdeep Singh Bathinda, Bhai Kamikar Singh Makandpur, Bhai Kanwarpal Singh, Bhai Karnail Singh Panjoli, Bhai Manmohan Singh, Bhai Paramjit Singh Gazi (Sikh Student Federation), Bhai Parshotam Singh Phagguwal, Bhai Satnam Singh (Paunta Sahib) and Bhai Surjeet Singh Mehraj.
